FCC voted at agenda meeting Thurs. to make Internet- based relay ...
FCC voted at agenda meeting Thurs. to make Internet- based relay services eligible for reimbursement under Telecom Relay Service (TRS) fund. IP relay service is similar to traditional TRS, but part of its route runs over Internet rather than…
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phone line. TRS enables deaf or otherwise impaired people to communicate by dialing relay center on special TTY (teletypewriter/text phone) and typing in message which worker at relay center then reads to party on other end of call. With IP relay, impaired person would type and send message over computer rather than TTY, which means individual wouldn’t have to buy TTY machine. Relay center is accessed via Web site. FCC’s vote classified IP relay as part of TRS and cleared way for its broader usage by authorizing reimbursement of costs. “The FCC must not allow regulatory artifacts to slow innovation by limiting support for TRS to older technologies,” FCC Comr. Abernathy said. “My only regret is that we did not act sooner to provide flexibility for this service innovation.” FCC also asked for comment on whether it should devise method for allocating TRS calls as intrastate or interstate and, if so, how to do it. TRS is offered by service providers that are reimbursed through TRS fund, financed by fees on common carriers. Sprint spokesman said company had been developing software and interface to enable IP relay and now would “move quickly to implement this service in the states we serve.” WorldCom spokeswoman said FCC’s action was “great news” for IP relay which, she said, was product MCI created and was first to market.